49

73

51.2

48.6

49.0

.405

.386

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

51

72

52.2

53.5

53.4

.427

.447

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

Twins pitching is last in baseball at generating strikeouts. The difference between them and the 29th place Indians is the same as the difference between the first place Brewers and the ninth place Reds.

5

54

70

48.9

54.2

54.6

.427

.446

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

-0.1%

Manny Acta thinks the Indians are trying too hard. If they tried less hard how many more than four of their last 25 games would they have won?

6

55

68

56.3

54.3

54.0

.446

.466

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

Following the Royals means being selective about which day it is. Say, did you hear about the great start by Luke Hochevar? Also the Royals have this new fellow with some skills. What’s his name? Quisenberry!

7

56

67

58.7

57.1

58.4

.468

.488

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

-0.1%

Toronto has played 33 games since Jose Bautista left the lineup injured. It has won 11 of them.

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

-0.1%

0.0%

57

67

57.8

61.1

62.8

.481

.461

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

-0.1%

-0.1%

The Mets are shutting down Johan Santana, which could be taken to mean they think they're still in the Wild Card race.

11

57

67

58.5

60.9

60.7

.478

.458

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

In 113 major-league games, Domonic Brown has five stolen bases. Do you know what his middle name is? It's Larun.

12

57

69

53.3

54.9

55.4

.438

.418

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

Jacob Turner started and Carlos Lee hit clean-up. That's the future and the past in the very same game.

13

59

65

64.8

66.4

67.1

.519

.539

0.0%

0.5%

0.5%

-1.5%

-2.3%

Cleveland lost 11 of 12 before taking two of four from Boston. Since then they are 1-8. The Angels were enjoying a 5-13 August before coming to Fenway. They’re 2-0 in the last two games. More than being a bad baseball team, the Red Sox are compassionate toward their fellow man.

14

61

64

63.2

60.0

61.2

.491

.511

0.0%

0.2%

0.2%

0.0%

0.0%

The Mariners have won eight in a row and have now passed the Red Sox in the Wild Card standings. Which means nothing. Nothing whatsoever.

15

64

60

64.8

67.9

68.7

.535

.555

1.2%

24.7%

25.9%

1.7%

-32.3%

Albert Pujols was set to leave last night's game with an apparent calf injury but a quick examination showed his young bovine animal was just fine. Then he hurt his leg muscle. What were the odds of both on the same day?!

64

61

67.1

66.5

65.7

.527

.507

7.4%

3.6%

11.0%

0.1%

1.0%

66

57

64.3

66.2

67.1

.536

.556

31.7%

38.0%

69.7%

-1.4%

-5.8%

Turns out, Anibal Sanchez had the power to pitch well all along. All he had to do was click his heals together three times and...

18

67

58

66.1

64.6

64.1

.524

.504

19.5%

9.6%

29.1%

-7.0%

-24.8%

Every time the Giants sweep the Dodgers Vin Scully loses a single hair off his exquisite head. No, Vin Scully doesn’t lose hair, but it’s not a good thing is what Im saying here.

19

67

56

73.6

74.2

71.7

.582

.563

3.1%

61.0%

64.1%

1.7%

-9.0%

The Cardinals were ridiculed when they traded Colby Rasmus to Toronto, but Jon Jay and his .804 OPS have worked out in center field just fine.

20

67

57

56.3

52.5

54.4

.464

.484

0.9%

8.9%

9.8%

-3.0%

-3.7%

The Orioles are a World Series contender in the same way that, with enough signatures, you can enter a shih tzu in the presidential primaries. It's technically and legally possible and I might even prefer it, but still, no chance.

21

67

57

63.7

63.1

61.4

.514

.494

0.9%

26.9%

27.8%

-6.4%

6.3%

Reaching the point in the season that the Pirates have and then getting swept by San Diego is like completing years of work for your PhD and then accidentally setting your dissertation on fire with a celebratory cigarette.

22

67

56

66.0

63.3

64.0

.529

.549

1.7%

29.9%

31.6%

4.2%

18.1%

Didn’t Tommy Milone not have the stuff to win at the major-league level? Because the A’s are 13-10 when he pitches.

23

68

55

69.1

66.1

66.0

.547

.567

68.3%

19.1%

87.4%

3.3%

-0.4%

A.J. Pierzynski went 0-for-3 to drop his average below .300. I mention for two reasons: 1) I wanted to see if I could spell “Pierzynski” and 2) Pierzynski isn’t Adam Dunn.

24

69

55

66.1

65.7

65.0

.536

.516

73.1%

6.1%

79.2%

6.4%

28.1%

The sweep of the Dodgers accomplished two things: 1) It put 2 1/2 games of distance in between the two clubs, and 2) it upset the 74 Dodger fans who elected to stay to the end of the games (likely out of fear of traffic).

25

69

55

70.0

68.6

69.4

.559

.578

9.9%

66.8%

76.7%

-2.4%

26.5%

The Rays are just three games back of the Yankees with way too many left to play for it be worth citing. Say this though, the Rays are 15-5 this month.

26

71

53

71.2

69.4

69.5

.567

.547

9.6%

79.6%

89.2%

4.6%

-2.1%

Several players were spooked to see the ghost of Bobby Cox patrolling the deli table, until one of them realized that it was just Chipper Jones making his famous Bobby Cox face because they were out of mustard.

27

72

51

71.1

75.3

74.8

.596

.615

97.1%

2.3%

99.4%

0.0%

1.2%

Adrian Beltre hit three homers in the first four innings but none in the last five. SLUMP!

28

72

52

72.1

72.8

74.0

.586

.606

89.2%

9.6%

98.8%

-0.9%

-1.1%

The Yankees struck out 13 times against Chris Sale and 15 times overall. That’s a lot of strikeouts. [crickets] What?! It is!

29

76

49

70.9

69.7

67.8

.569

.549

96.0%

3.8%

99.8%

1.0%

0.4%

Do you think Bronson Arroyo should hire Wily Mo Pena as his butler as a statement to Theo Epstein?

30

77

47

74.2

74.7

73.0

.603

.583

90.4%

9.4%

99.8%

-0.2%

0.2%

The Nationals are saying that shutting down Stephen Strasburg means he’ll only miss two or three games, which oddly assumes they’ll miss the playoffs. Force of habit?

This turnaround for Sanchez better take, pushing him back and fister forward resulted in an injury that will cost at least one fister start, at that to the tab that already includes Jake Turner... and this rental is becoming more expensive than a summer in the hamptons